Super Eagles captain, John Obi Mikel, has reiterated his boundless
joy at the Super Eagles’ qualification for next year’s FIFA World Cup
finals.

The 30-year-old said, “This is really a dream come true. The team and
myself, we worked very hard for this believing we could do it, and we
are over the moon that our aspiration has been met.

He said, “I want to commend everyone who has been involved in this:
the players, the coaches, the backroom staff, the NFF. It was not easy
but we knew from the beginning that we would have to fight hard for
every point and we did.”

Mikel could have been going to his fourth World Cup finals, if
Nigeria had not narrowly (head-to-head principle) missed the 2006 finals
in Germany and also the injuring he had just before the 2010 finals in
South Africa.

The former Chelsea FC of England midfielder said, “There is nothing
one can do about that; everything comes in God’s time. I am grateful to
God for this ticket and we will go to Russia and give our very best.”
The Super Eagles became the first African nation to qualify for the
tournament, thanks to a 1-0 win over Zambia on Saturday, at the Godswill
Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.